1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing sensor system capable of preventing interference in light projection regions of adjacent image processing sensors, an image processing sensor control method, and an image processing sensor used in the image processing sensor system.
2. Description of Related Art
As an image processing sensor that performs visual inspection of an inspection target, there is one in which a lighting unit and an imaging unit are integrated with each other to pick up an image of the surface of an inspection target. In this type of image processing sensor, image processing is performed on data of the picked-up image of the surface of the inspection target by a semiconductor device built in the image processing sensor. In image processing sensors in which a lighting unit and an imaging unit are integrated with each other, optimal projection timing and optimal imaging timing are set for each of the image processing sensors.
For example, in JP 2013-110513 A discloses a conventional image processing sensor in which a lighting unit and an imaging unit are integrated with each other. In JP 2013-110513 A, the image processing sensor is provided with an imaging device, and connected to a display device (monitor) through a connection cable. Further, a FPGA, DSP or the like which performs image processing is provided as an image processing device inside the imaging device of the image processing sensor. Further, the imaging device is provided with a plurality of LEDs as a lighting unit so as to surround a lens which picks up an image.
However, in the image processing sensor disclosed in JP 2013-110513 A, when a plurality of image processing sensors are adjacently arranged, interference occurs in light projection regions of adjacent image processing sensors, which causes so-called overexposure or interference fringes. As a result, disadvantageously, an article actually having a good quality may be falsely recognized as not having a good quality, or an article that should actually be eliminated due to its poor quality may be falsely recognized as having a good quality.